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Home warranties are designed to offer homeowners protection against unanticipated equipment and appliance failures. The contracts usually last one year, and though they differ in terms of coverage, all home warranties provide repairs or replacements for any covered appliances or systems.
Most homeowners renew their coverage each year, but until something goes wrong, few know when to utilize their home warranties. This article will offer an introduction to how to make the most of home warranty coverage.
Home Warranty Coverage Options
The coverage options for home warranties vary, and some companies, such as 2-10 HBW, offer customizable plans. As a result, there’s no hard-and-fast rule as to what these warranties cover. Some only pay for repairs to and replacements of kitchen appliances, while others cover all the major appliances in the home plus essential systems such as plumbing, heating, and electrical equipment. Other common examples of covered appliances and equipment include:
- Water heaters
- Ductwork
- Washers and dryers
- Pool and spa equipment
- Air conditioners
- Garage door openers
- And others
The main point here is that homeowners should always read their contracts before any issues develop. That way, they’ll know what appliances will be covered.
Examples of Covered Mechanical Failures
Just like home insurance policies cover some types of events and not others, home warranty plans may come with added stipulations as to what types of repairs they will cover. Most only provide coverage for equipment and appliances that worked as intended when the home warranty contract went into effect and have broken down due to normal wear and tear.
To clarify what that means, let’s take a look at two examples. In the first, a homeowner has been regularly maintaining his or her furnace using a licensed and approved HVAC service, and the unit experiences a sudden failure in the middle of the winter. The homeowner can call his or her home warranty plan provider for help and the repairs or unit replacement should be covered.
In a second example, assume that someone purchased a home with a faulty air conditioning unit. The unit didn’t work when the home warranty plan went into effect, so it was exempted from coverage. A homeowner who wants to replace the unit will not be able to call the home warranty company to handle the replacement.
Best Practices to Get the Most Out of a Home Warranty
Just having a home warranty’s won’t help if homeowners don’t know how to put it to good use. Follow these tips to get the most out of any home warranty plan.
- Make sure appliances are properly installed.
- Keep up with routine maintenance.
- Request coverage for multiple appliances if necessary.
- Always call the home warranty’s company before scheduling inspections with contractors.
- Don’t be afraid to appeal denied claims.
Homeowners shouldn’t be afraid to call their home warranty companies when something goes wrong. If a covered appliance fails, the home warranty’s provider should be the first outside party to find out about it. In most cases, homeowners don’t have to worry about anything else from there. They can just wait for the home warranty company to take care of scheduling inspections, repairs, or replacements as needed.
Request More Information
Don’t have a home warranty’s yet and want to make sure all of the property’s major systems and appliances will be covered if anything goes wrong? Reach out to a reputable service provider to request more information about home warranty coverage and how it works.
